Various types of video playback devices, such as personal video recorders or client devices in a television-based entertainment system, can be directed to fast advance through a video program with a user input. A video program can be directed to advance either in a fast-forward advance or rewind advance mode. Conventional video playback devices, however, do not fast advance through a video program, or movie for example, such that a viewer can discern from rendered images of the video how far the video has been advanced. Further, when fast advancing through a program, movie, news report, sporting event, and the like, a viewer will likely advance past any events or sections of video that might be of interest to the viewer without an indication of the events.
For example, a VCR fast-forwards through an analog VHS movie providing the viewer with only a numerical counter to indicate the progression of advance through the video. With digital video, such as a movie on a DVD, a viewer can fast advance through the digital video by jumping to predefined index points in the video. The viewer fast advances through the video from index point to index point, missing content that might be of interest to the viewer without an indication of such content.
Accordingly, for video playback devices, such as personal video recorders or client devices in television-based entertainment systems, there is a need for techniques to enable a viewer to recognize an event in a video program while fast advancing the video, either in a fast-forward advance or rewind advance mode.